This work includes key papers from the world literature covering important discoveries and developments in optics.

Many laser applications depend on the ability of a particular laser to be frequency tunable. Among the many different types of frequency tunable lasers are: dye lasers, excimer lasers, and semiconductor lasers. Thisbook gives active researchers and engineers the practical information they need to choose an appropriate tunable laser for their particular applications. - Presents a unified and integrated perspective on tunable lasers - Includes sources spanning the electromagnetic spectrum from the UV to the FIR - Contains 182 figures and 68 tables - Provides coverage of optical parametric oscillators and tunable gas, liquid, solid state, and semiconductor lasers

The Workshop on Tunable Solid State Lasers for Remote Sensing was held at Stanford University in October 1984 to assess the state of the art in tunable solid state lasers for remote sensing from satellite platforms. The value of conducting global remote sensing measurements of atmospheric chemistry, climate, and weather in the 1990s is now established. What is not yet defined, however, is the status of the developing tunable laser technology that must meet both the scientific requirements and the space platform constraints. This workshop was convened by the Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology (OAST) of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to assess the status and progress in tunable solid state laser sources for remote sensing. The workshop was organized to facilitate information exchange across a number of technologies from remote sensing requirements to crystal growth of the materials important for the development of the tunable laser sources. The emphasis was on the recent developments in tunable solid state laser sources necessary to meet the future transmitter requirements for global remote sensing. A goal of the workshop was to form recommendations to NASA on the current and future prospects for solid state laser technology that will allow remote sensing measurements from air, shuttle, and free-flying satellite platforms. The emphasis was on solid state laser sources because they offer the best potential for meeting the demanding requirements of compact size, good efficiency, and long operational lifetimes required for future space station and free-flying platform operation.

Developments in lasers continue to enable progress in many areas such as eye surgery, the recording industry and dozens of others. This book presents citations from the book literature for the last 25 years and groups them for ease of access which is also provided by subject, author and titles indexes.

In recent years there has been renewed interest in the scientific and indu strial communities in tunable solid state vibronic lasers. Much of this has been spurred by the user desirous of obtaining compact primary laser sources (independent of nonlinear optical frequency shifts) throughout the visible and near infra-red spectral regi ons. To further motivate and stimul ate re search and development in this area, workshops sponsored by the Laser Divi sion of the US ArmY Night Vision Electro-Optics Laboratory (NVEOL) at Fort Belvoir, Virginia were held during 1-3 April 1981 and 16-17 June 1983 at Keystone and NVEOL, respectively. The consensus of opinion of the partici pants at these workshops was that any successful program leading to the iden tification and development of vibronic tunable laser materials in the visible and IR must include coordinated activity between crystal growers, theoreti cal and experimental investigators into the fundamental processes of vibro nic lasing, and laser device engineers. Continued interaction between govern ment, industry, and academia was encouraged in order to establish a unified approach to these areas and, when necessary, redefine and redirect program matic activity. The organization of this 1st Annual Conference on Tunable Solid State La sers held at the La Jolla Institute 13-15 June 1984, was based around the latest results in tunable vibronic materials and laser development, but structured ina manner consi stent wi th the recommendati ons of the NVEOL workshops.